A Girl's Walkies
by Dan Rush
Summary: Astro's sister Uran goes on her own week end walkies adventure. Will her borther have to come and save her?
1. Chapter 1

A girl's walkies

An Uran fan fiction

By Dan Rush

© Zoran 2003 Astro Boy series by Sony Pictures. © Astro Boy 1954, 1960, 1980, 2003 Osamu Tezuka, Mushi Productions, Tezuka Productions. All rights deeply respected. For non-profit fandom enjoyment only.

After her brother becomes ill with overheating stress, Uran decides to go on her own version of walkies with her school mate Miko and has an adventure of her own where she's now the big hero of the day.

**Metro City, Japan**

**Mid-day**

All someone had to say was "Something's wrong." And Uran was out like a shot! She sped through the downtown streets on her Huffy zooming fast enough to make the tires smoke. She zinged past pedestrians, sailed over a few cars and left a pursuing traffic cop gasping for air as she turned onto her home street, slid to a stop and bounded up the walkway to the house.

Reno met her at the doorway waving his arms franticly to get her to stop. "It's ok! Please tell me no one got hurt?"

"Oh be quiet!" She snapped back. "What happened to my brother!?" Uran said shivering. "Did he get beat up? Is he in pieces?"

Reno shook his head. "It's nothing like that. He just had an attack of power overstress and his reactor SCRAM'd out. He's being going like a bat out of hell for a week with no rest."

Uran pursed her lips. "Would you mind not saying all that dumb technical stuff?"

Reno sighed. "He's very tired and worn out."

Uran walked past him and into the living room almost oblivious to Reno's pleading. "Hey! You can't walk in right now, he's way too tired, he needs rest Uran!"

She turned around and snorted. "You gonna stop me?"

Reno walked around her and blocked the stairs. "You gonna throw me?"

Uran frowned. Obviously she couldn't throw him aside, those dumb robot laws. "I'm going up to my room till I can see him." She stomped up the stairs and stopped in front of Astro's door. "Hope you feel better big brother!"

Feel better? As Cora dangled another glass of that blue stuff in his nose, Astro was wishing he'd just shorted out. "Not again…"

"It's not my fault you don't have any other way of getting extra coolant down there now open your mouth."

"But that stuff's…ugh….I wouldn't wish this on Trashcan!" Astro grimaced, drank the glass and contorted his face in a reaction of disgust…"Ugh….that stuff sucks."

Cora looked over the readings on her laptop and shook her head. "The cooling process might take a few days at least. You're still boarder line on the scale. Good thing this bed's lined with heat refracting materials or you'd set it on fire."

Astro sighed. "I thought the blue energy was stable."

"The energy is but your mechanics still have their limits. You pushed yourself too hard this time, I told you about sleeping."

Astro moaned. "I promised Uran I'd take her out this weekend too. I hate letting her down like this."

"Well she's not the first one to be spurned is she?" Cora said smirking. "You still owe me dinner remember?"

"Is it my fault I'm so in demand around here?" Astro replied with a weak smile. "Can Uran come in?"

"Yeah…just don't let her stress you out." Cora replied as she walked to the bedroom door and yelled. "Uran? Astro wants to see you."

Uran walked in and saw all the wires, hoses and monitors strung around Astro's bed and for the moment she didn't say anything. She pulled a chair over and pointed around the room. "Where's the plug-in for an X-Box?"

Astro smiled weakly. "Don't bother, I already tried."

"You're ok right? I mean this isn't something serious?"

Astro gasped as Cora poured another glass of coolant in front of him. "When she's pouring that crap down my throat? Yeah…it's serious."

"Boys are so impossible." Cora snorted. "You agree?"

Uran looked back with a smirk. "Yes! The only way you could have ended up like this big brother is because you're such a stubborn moron to start with."

Astro huffed. "And I was gonna take you out on a walkies this weekend? Not with that attitude."

Uran crossed her arms and scoffed. "I'm still going though. Me, Miko and Houdini are gonna go when she's back from school."

"Now wait." Astro said. "I don't think…"

"You don't think what?" Uran replied pursing her lips. "You're going to give me one of your famously long…"I am your older bother." Speeches again? I think I can take care of myself by now can't I?"

"Well…." Astro said cautiously, trying to avoid a blow-up. "We wanted to go together remember?"

"Well…that's not gonna happen huh?" Uran said smiling. "You shouldn't worry yourself big brother, I have everything planned out. I gave the Doctor all the numbers of where we're going and Reno can check on us if he wants to. You just stay in bed, get some rest, stuff yourself with ice cream and don't worry about anything."

Astro tried to beckon Uran back as she walked out of the room but looked forlornly at Cora as if trying to enlist a little back up.

"Don't look at me. I'm not getting involved." Cora said as she swished the glass of coolant in her hand.

"I don't know what's worse. Drinking that or knowing my little sisters unleashed on the world by herself." Astro said moanfully.

Cora patted his hand. "You stress on her too much. It's been what, a year since the Doctor made her? I think she's grown wise enough to take care of herself by now."

"How trusting you are." Astro snorted as he took another drink and gagged. "Ugh! You just enjoy watching me suffer aren't you?"

Cora smiled softly. "You know I don't." She bent down and gave him a tender kiss. "Relax? You deserve a nice vacation."

"With Uran on the loose? I doubt it."

**Near Miko's House**

**2pm Friday**

Uran came to a stop and walked up to Miko's front door listening to Houdini as he flew around her head and chirped into her ears…

"No…I'm not going to put his off. I had this planned for a month!"

Houdini tapped on her head as he rested on it.

"Astro won't do anything crazy because of me. What could possibly go bad?"

"Chirp!"

"My reputation precedes me? Thanks for the positive support you silly bird." Uran snorted as she pushed the door bell and waited for Miko to open up.

"Hi!" The jumpy ten year old chirped as she held the door open and snatched Uran by her hand. "Come on!

"Where's your Mom?" Uran asked as Miko pulled her through the house and up to her room.

"Still at work. She didn't say anything back so I think everything's ok with her. You have to hear this new CD though!"

Miko handed Uran her MP3 earphones. "It's the latest by Mikuyo…."squeal"…he's so, so, so, so…..cute!"

Uran listened a little then squealed herself. "His voice drives me crazy!"

"I know!" Miko replied happily. She then looked behind Uran and scratched her head. "I thought your brother was coming with us?"

"Uh uh…" Uran replied. "Nope. He's sick! Good for us!"

"Huh? Uran how could you?" Miko said as she threw a stuffed animal at Uran.

"How could I not? After all do you want my brother tagging with us through the ginza? Nothing more embarrassing then your big bother watching you browse through the underwear section. Trust me, we'll have more fun!"

"I dunno." Miko said worried. "My mother thinks Astro will be with us. She doesn't like the idea of me walking by myself all over Machida."

Uran huffed. "You're with me! Bah…just like most people. Just because I don't wear red boots, fly in circles and shoot bullets from my bum, I'm just another helpless little girl in need of a chaperone? Is that it?"

Miko rubbed her head. "Well I did promise my mother as a condition you know."

Uran put Houdini on her finger. "Well Houdini can vouch for me, you're in good hands with Uran Atom isn't that right Houdini?"

Houdini gave Uran a sort of "Sure you are".

"Isn't that RIGHT Houdini?" Uran said more forcefully. The bird wisely chirped back with a nod. "See? Experienced opinion noted."

Miko smiled. "I just know I'll live to regret this. What excuse do I use on my mom if we end up kidnapped? Or in jail? Or we owe like 50 thousand yen on something?"

Uran waved a hand in her face. "You have a run-a-way imagination. Oh yeah…I got my brother's youth hostile card too!"

Miko smirked. "You did ask him didn't you?"

Uran shrugged. "Why ask him? It's not as if he's going to suddenly jump up and use it any time soon right?"

Miko finished packing a backpack with clothes and hooked a little stuffed rabbit to one of the straps. "So he's not going to mind?"

"Nah…he's got so many days saved on it, he won't miss em. Anyway, are we going to stop in Yamanote Ginza fist?"

Miko closed her door and locked it. "That's to keep my nosey little brother out. I thought we'd go there first. My mom gave me 10,000 yen for new clothes."

Uran smirked. "Lucky you. I almost have to perform circus tricks to get Astro to take me shopping."

They walked out of the house and hopped on their bikes. "Are we taking the train?" Miko asked as they pedaled towards downtown.

"Hmph! Absolutely not!" Uran snorted back. "My brother may like being packed like a fish in a can but uh uh! I don't want someone putting their hands where they shouldn't."

The girls locked up their bikes at the Minasoku Station and hopped the 4pm "Long Rider" Blue Line cruiser to Machida. From then on it was non-stop giggling, the usual back and forth fair common to a pair of girls…

"Let me guess?" Miko said as she played with her lip. "Saito Ushikawa"

"I know!" Uran replied giddyously. "He's all over my bedroom walls! I would so hug him…I would so hug him and kiss him and kidnap him and keep him in my room!"

{Giggles and more giggles}

Uran rubbed her hair. "Oh.....you don't keep any posters out in the open in your room! This game sucks."

"Come on!" Miko goaded.

"Mmmmm….my brother."

Miko slapped her. "Not on your life! Be serious!"

Uran looked at Houdini. "A little help would be nice?"

The bird chirped away and Miko frowned. "No fair! That's cheating!"

"I'm gonna say….Yushiro Daita!"

{Giggles…giggles and more giggles.}

"I've seen all his movies! He….is…..he's just CUTE!"

(Ubber more giggles.}

"So….are we going to have time to go to Tokyo Hands before it closes?" Miko asked.

"We should have about an hour." Uran replied. "Where do we go after that?"

Miko pursed her lips. "I thought you had this planned out?"

"I ditched plan B like a mile ago." Uran replied smiling. "We can just follow our female logic and do what comes."

Miko shook her head. "I knew it…we're doomed."

"There's the movies?" Uran suggested. "The live action Last Unicorn's out."

Miko smiled. "That's good! But we shouldn't be out that late."

Uran smirked. "Ill be sure to tuck you into bed on time for your evening feeding."

"Relax." Miko replied. "Unlike you, I can lie."

Uran smirked back. "Unlike you, I have a tracking device and I'm sure Astro will do something to ruin my evening plans, like send his gang of spies to foil all my plans."

Uran snatched Miko by the wrist and ran with her out of the bus and onto the busy shopping streets of Machida.

**Old Mishu Toy factory**

**Machida**

It had been a few months since Hamegg went into hiding after losing his Robot Games to the Robo-Rights law. Of all the orphans he'd collected, only one still stayed with him. At the moment, Grace was waving her hand in front of his face trying to get his attention while he brooded over his latest abysmal creation.

"You there boss?" She asked.

"No." Hamegg replied. "No….I'm off in transcendental space, seeking the cosmic unisis, finding the truth of life…Can't you see I'm thinking?"

"It looks more like your head is about to explode." Grace said as she walked over to a table and sifted through the mountain of parts. "You're not hoping to build something to fight Astro out of this junk are you?"

Hamegg pulled a part from her hand and tossed it over his shoulder. "You should know me better than that you silly girl. I may be a little envious of Tenma, I just might be a little upset at that plastic brat of his…oh no…now why would I want to build a simple advanced robot that will just totally…"KICK THAT SNOT INFESTED LITTLE PUNK STRAIT TO HELL!"

Grace wiped her face. "Say it…don't spray it."

Hamegg groaned for a moment. "Who am I kidding? When all you got is junk, all you'll make is junk. Unless I get a little lucky and run into a robot with a little promise, I might just reside myself to the lowly job of garbage container cleaner."

Grace watched as Hamegg threw on a jacket. "I'm going for a walk to clear my head kid. Want anything while I'm out?"

Grace smiled back. "Something at 7/11 and get me some more copper wire."

**Doctor O'Shay's House**

**Late afternoon**

The Doctor had finished his days work and walked into Astro's bedroom to find the boy bot sitting up against some pillows and wincing over another dose of foul coolant.

"Feeling better Astro?" He asked.

"I would if I didn't have to keep drinking this coolant." Astro replied as he wiggled the glass in his hand. "That and the fact that Uran just went off with a friend without me."

"Oh dear." Doctor O'Shay said as he scratched his head.

Cora frowned as she walked in on them. "There you go again! You know, some one has to stand up for Uran when you start barking on her Astro."

"I wasn't barking on her." Astro said turning his head. "I was speaking from experience."

"And you think you're a perfect angel?" Cora snorted back. "Do I have to remind you of your own history of screw ups?"

Astro smirked. "When I do them, they're screw ups. When she does anything wrong? It's a disaster. There is a difference you know."

Doctor O'Shay laughed. "Don't blame him for all of it Cora. I accept my responsibility, after all I made Uran and programmed her to be a challenge to Astro. Perhaps it's time I amended her programming to match the progress of her growth?"

Astro chuckled. "Then I'll have nothing to do in my spare time. Unless….Cora stops ignoring me and takes me out on a date?" Astro slid around on the bed till he was hanging halfway off trying to give his best "cute face" smile…"Well? Tell me you can resist the blinding power of my cuteness?"

Cora smirked, reached for an open bottle of ranch salad dressing and squirted a good handful into Astro's face!

"Does that mean no Doctor?" Astro asked as he watched Cora walk out while wiping the dressing from his face.

"Actually my boy it's a sort of yes. Now if you can get her to squirt you with ketchup? Things will look very promising!"

**Tokyo Hands Department Store**

**Machida**

**Late Afternoon**

Uran made a pucker with her lips then stood back to look at Miko with a tilted head and a quizzling face…"I dunno…maybe I'm not the right person to talk about lip stick?"

"Do you think it matches my cheeks? Or my shirt?" Miko replied as she pointed.

"Uhhh….It's a little closer to your shirt. Is that rose pink or cherry pink?" Uran said as she played with another lip stick case. "What do you think Houdini?"

"You're asking the bird?" Miko snorted.

"I told you artsy stuff is difficult for robots." Uran said as she went around her own lips then stood back contorting her face. "I don't think Ice Blue fits me."

"That's like the twentieth color you've tried silly, let me pick one." Miko said as she did Uran's lips. "Jasmine Jade…now that looks cute."

Uran looked puzzled. "How do you define cute anyway? Girls have like multi-layer cute to think about. Should I look cute because of my dad? My brother? You? It's like you can look at it two thousand ways!"

The girls finished with the make-up isle and walked over to dresses and socks. "Boys of course." Miko said with a smirk. "You wanna look cute so boys will oogle over you, buy you things and cry when you dump em."

Uran skimmed a hand through a row of dresses, occasionally pulling one out and holding it in front of her. "Oogle or non-Oogle?"

Miko stood flicking her lip. "Uh, uh…very un-Oogly. The skirt's kinda long."

Uran giggled. "I want to look cute, not give Doctor O'Shay a heart attack." She said as she found one with a rose pink bottom and a white top with red trims. "Now this! This is so me!"

Miko showed one she picked out. "I like the Levis top don't you?"

"Too many beads and studs." Uran replied. "And your Mom might not like the "pillow kitten" embroider on the back."

"Oh!" Miko suddenly noised glowingly as she pulled out another skirt and shirt set. "Look at this! Remember the little kitten on Bugs Bunny? The one with the big bull dog?"

Uran read the wording. "Cute-e-kitten." And nodded with excitement. "Oh yes! It's got way so much Oogle factor!" Then she drooped. "How do you judge Oogle factor?"

Miko lightly slapped her off the head. "Dufus! I thought I taught you?"

"You make it sound so complicated though." Uran replied. "Let's go check out the next floor up? I want some ideas to add to my room."

On the floor above…Hamegg was comparing electronics parts in one sales section while sweeping his eyes around the floor trying to find a robot he could work with. Problem was, none of the robots he saw could match what Tenma had built. He found what grace had asked for, a spool of copper wire, and walked towards the escalator to leave when screamed erupted from across the floor!

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Screamed a young man as he ran through the aisles throwing shelves and people behind him to slow the cop that was chasing him! Hamegg dove for the floor as the guy wheeled about, pulled a revolver and let off a pair of shots that forced the cop to roll and crash into a sales bin!

Uran and Miko were about half way up the escalator when the creep bounded down the down side knocking people around as he went! He crashed into a woman holding a baby and sent them tumbling down the moving stairs as he leaped into a flying airborne run above them!

"Uran turned about and watched as the baby, wrapped in a thick woven blanket, fell to the base of the escalator and became trapped as the revolving staircase began to eat the end of it!

She was up and over the rail without another thought, her mind already deciding what to do. Uran landed on the other escalator and snatched the handrail, squeezing it into a crush grip and giving it a quick violent tug!

From inside the escalator came noises of snapping chains, shattering gear works and blown electrical fuses as the whole works came to a stop. Uran hopped up and ran down the hand railing, her eyes focusing on the thief as he ran for the front exit of the store. As she leaped off the edge of the staircase railing, Uran snatched a makeup case from a startled girl, locked onto the thief with her eyes and threw the disk shaped case through the air like a rifle bullet!

It caught him in the back and flipped him like a pinwheel to the floor! Uran was running for him as he stumbled to get back up…" Nine O'Clock express coming through!" She screamed, oh she was so going to tackle this creep!

Not so as a police officer suddenly flew in front of her face and creamed the crook from the side, plowing him into a store display and knocking his lights out.

"What?! That's not fair! He was mine!" Uran snorted as the officer stood handcuffing the thief and yanking him off the display.

"Afternoon Uran." Said Sergeant Deutadi. "Nice assist. Where's your brother?"

"My bother?" Uran replied groaning. "I do all the work and still his name comes up, don't I get any credit?"

"Don't blow a gasket, I just thought he'd be around." Deutadi said.

Just then, a man dressed in a business suit showed up and from the color of his face, he wasn't at all pleased. "Young lady! Do you know how much damage you just caused my store?!"

"Not really." Uran replied. "I was too busy stopping this dumb guy." She said as she pointed to the thief.

"I'll have you know that the escalator you broke costs ten thousand dollars!" The man snapped. "You're going to pay for it!"

Deutadi got in front of Uran. "In case you didn't see it Sir? This little robot saved a baby from being seriously injured by "Your escalator", which seems to lack a required safety guard at the base of it. Now if I were you? I'd be fortunate that you might walk away without getting your butt sued off if not being sited, fined or jailed for violating city safety ordinances?"

Deutadi looked back at Uran. "The department's been looking for this rat by the way and it just so happens that there is a ten thousand dollar reward, which will cover the escalator damage just nicely…don't you agree Uran?"

Uran frowned stiffly. "Yeah…I guess it will." She turned about and caught up with Miko as she ran up. "Hmph…I got jipped."

"That….was sooooo cool!" Miko said almost giggling. "You should have seen yourself Uran! You were like hanging in mid air when you whipped that compact! It was…it was poetry in motion…shear elegance, absolute oogleness…."

"I got jipped!" Uran snapped. "When ever my brother does anything? There's a camera! He saves a puppy, there's a camera. He stops a bank robbery, there's a camera. He helps a little old lady across the street, there's a camera!"

"Me?....Crickets….nadda….zilch….nothing." Uran stood brooding with a face like Lucy Van Pelt till a woman ran up behind her and scooped her up!

"Thank you, thank you, thank you oh you beautiful, wonderful little girl!" The woman said as she hugged and snuggled Uran like crazy. "She saved my baby!"

Camera flashes went off from several reporters and Uran turned to Miko with a look of needed support. "You were saying?" Miko asked as Uran was dying from being covered in lip stick.

"This is so embarrassing…my brother gets better pictures than this!"

"You said you wanted to be the hero for once didn't you?" Miko replied laughing as Uran talked herself away from the crowd and followed her friend out of the store.

"Well duh! But being covered in lipstick smootches wasn't what I was hoping for." Uran said as she and Miko stopped every few steps to look into the small one story shops they were passing by.

If Uran was hoping to have been noticed, she certainly was by Hamegg. He followed a few steps behind, still entranced by how fast the little girl bot moved. "Nice! Maybe this is where my luck will change for the better? A little smooth talk and I could have her eating out of my hands and into my tool box."

**Doctor O'Shay's House**

**Dinner time**

Nora was setting the table when Astro trudged in wearing a pair of silly "Loon E Toons" slippers and poked his head into the fridge behind her.

"Well…finally up and around!" Nora said as she clapped her hands together. "Are you feeling better?"

Astro looked back at her as he held a package of mini-hamburgers in his hand. "Well… sort of. I really shouldn't be up like this but I'm getting cranky being waited on."

Astro popped the burgers into the micro-wave. "Has Uran called?"

"Called no." Nora replied. "On the evening news? Yes."

"Huh?" Astro noised. "The news?"

"She stopped a robber today all by herself. Broke an escalator in the process though."

Astro glowed. "Now that's my Sister! And she complains I show boat too much. I still think I should check on her, just to make sure she's alright."

Astro had just sat down to eat his burgers when Nora slapped a set of handcuffs on his wrist. "Hey!"

"Don't you start having any crazy ideas." Nora warned. "Uran can take care of herself. You're still recovering."

Astro miffed. "A walk isn't gonna kill me."

"What do I have to do to you? Tie you up?" Nora snorted.

"You've been watching hentai again haven't you?" Astro replied smirking. Nora slapped him hard off the head.

"Get back to bed and behave yourself?" Nora replied sternly.

**6pm**

**Machida Ginza**

Uran and Miko were comparing trinkets and ear rings at a girl's accessory shop when a short dumpy man in a suit walked up to them. "Excuse me? Might you be the robot who thrashed that crook in Tokyo Hands this afternoon?"

Uran turned from the mirror she was looking into. Mister T couldn't have topped the amount of chains and excessive toy jewelry hanging on, off and around Uran's neck and ears. She gave the giggling Miko a little slap on the shoulder. "Yeah! Let me guess, you want my autograph?"

Hamegg shook his head. "No…I want you. Elmo Gluepinski, television producer. What you did young lady was impressive. You have the makings of a big star and I have the talent to get you there!"

Uran looked at his card and smirked. "There's like 50 shows on TV right now with big robots! Besides, if you want a big star, you could ask my brother."

"Astro?" Hamegg questioned. "Tell me one television show right now that has a cute little girl robot who fights crime and bad guys? You could be the next Hanna Banana, Sabrina, hmmm…Buffy would be a total wuss compared to you. I can tell you have natural born talent."

Miko stood back making faces and shaking her head. "I think he's totally lying. We better go Uran."

"Now hold on young lady!" Hamegg said as he blocked them off. "You want proof of who I am? Call this number tomorrow morning and arrange a meeting through my secretary. What harm can it do? If it's not for you just don't make the appointment, that simple."

Miko and Uran walked out of the small shop with Uran studying the business card. "Don't tell me you fell for that?" Miko said. "He looks like a creep!"

"I dunno." Uran replied. "It is a nice card. Why not look into it?"

"Why not wrap a gift bow around your head and just jump in his lap? For a robot Uran, you can be so empty headed." Miko said pursing her lips.

"Hmph! Maybe you're a little jealous that I got noticed?" Uran said crossing her arms.

"What ever. It's starting to get late anyway so are we going to the movies or are you going to stand there and pose all night?"

"Will you quit it?!" Uran protested. "Better hope I remember you when I become a television star you know."

Miko pursed her lips as the girls walked towards the theater. "Your head is way too big for your brain, did you know that?"

"Hmph!" Uran huffed back. "My cranial structure is perfectly suited thank you very much!"

**Old Mishu Toy factory**

**Machida**

Grace was welding something on a steel work table when Hamegg came walking in cheerfully singing and dancing to himself. She raised her dark goggles and smirked sarcastically…"What? The Sake was that good?"

"No my dear mechanical genius, I found something better." Hamegg replied evilly as he dropped a picture on the table. "Take a look at this cutie."

Grace snorted. "Wow. Big deal. You know you could get tossed in jail for stalking little kids like this?"

Hamegg smirked. "Grace…this little girl's a power packing piston of perpetual potential mayhem. What I saw made my toes curl and my heart jump for joy. I tell ya Grace? With my superior intellect and your nimble hands why we could take this little tike and turn her into an Astro bashing jugernaught."

Grace waved a glove. "Oh? And like Astro's gonna sit back and let this happen? Uh duh!"

"Doubtful Thomas." Hamegg snorted. "By the time he finds out, we'll have her eating out of our hands. And do you think Astro will do anything to his little sister? Oh to see the look on O'Shay's face let alone that jerk Tenma's when Astro's getting his clock royally cleaned by my newest creation."

Hamegg turned from his jovial celebration to see Grace thumbing through a phone book. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for someone to insure "acts of insanity"."

"Bah! This coming from a 9-year old with a chain saw. Give me that! I swear it's so hard to find a good confident side kick these days."

**Machida Movie House**

**9pm**

Uran and Miko left the movies with Uran still munching away on a bag of popcorn. "I really don't know why I'm eating this." Uran said as she shoveled through the bag. "Oh! Must be the prize at the bottom! Lickable tattoos."

Miko was still off in another world…"Mmmm….Brad Pitt…." She hugged her little rabbit and giggled. "Wasn't he so dreamy as Prince Lear?"

"I bet you don't remember anything about the movie." Uran snorted. "All I heard from you was your lips quivering every time he said something."

Miko slapped Uran off the shoulder. "Well look at you! Every 5 seconds you kept making stupid comments! "They can't do that, that's so illogical, that's scientifically impossible…" You almost got us thrown out!"

"Can I help it if I have to state the obvious? I'm a robot, it's a fault of my programming."

"You're an airhead and that's a fault of you being Uran period." Miko said snickering.

Just then, Uran held a finger up. "Shhh…do you hear that?"

"The air escaping from your empty head?" Miko asked.

Uran started walking around with her head craning from side to side. "You don't hear that crying?"

"I don't have radar ears." Miko said as she stood still. "You know what? I can hear it now."

Sure enough, Uran knelt down on the sidewalk and listened to a nearby sewer grate. "That's a kitten!"

Miko watched as Uran snatched the drain grate and threw it over her head. "Now wait! You're not going to climb into that are you?"

Uran did a double take and started tossing her clothes into Miko's chest. "Are you nuts! You're going to get us in trouble!"

"Oh please." Uran snorted back. "Last time I checked…hello….robot!"

"Gnah! That's not the point!" Miko paniced aloud. "You're not supposed to go down there!"

Uran stopped, looked around and smiled. "Uh….robot laws and crying kitten…blame my programming."

Miko slapped her head and winced. "Just hurry up!"

Two minutes later…all the power in the block of houses suddenly went off!

"Oops!" Uran's voice suddenly came from the sewer. "Silly me…touched a ground."

Miko was shaking sweat when Uran finally emerged again with the kitten all but wrapped around her head. "Tah dah! Kitten!"

"Tah dah….airhead!" Miko replied as she snatched Uran by the hand and ran down the street to escape the sounds of oncoming sirens.

**Doctor O'Shay's house**

**9pm**

"Fump, fump, fump, fump…..wooosh!.....swish!"

"Fump, fump, fump, fump…..wooosh!.....swish!"

Reno stood to the side and watched Astro run back and forth with a basketball in the Doctor's driveway. "You're better! Of course you still can't go anywhere till the new heat-sink dampeners come in to replace the one's you blew out so don't push it."

Astro stopped to slowly dribble the ball around. "The Captain?" He asked.

"Grounded." Reno replied.

" Ken? Timao? Abercrombie?" Astro asked.

"Uh….cram school…torture by Aunt….grounded." Reno replied.

"The Mamouchi triplets?" Astro asked.

"Hockey trumps your sister." Reno replied. "Plotting to send spies on Uran, aren't you being a serious pain in the booter?"

"You too?" Astro said as he sat on the ground. "Doesn't anybody understand that I'm only being a responsible brother to my sister? I couldn't live with myself if something seriously happened to her."

"Hey look Astro. There comes a time when you have to give a little slack, my robot parents knew that when I turned nine. The more they hovered over me, wanting to protect me from myself? I became an absolute terrorist, out right rebellion! And things turned out ten times worse that whole summer. Uran's not a new off the shelf bot anymore, she needs a little space for herself."

Astro miffed. "I'm controlling?"

Reno nodded. "You're being a jerk."

"If something bad happens, are you willing to make a bet?" Astro said smirking.

"If you don't welsh like the last time." Reno smirked. "If Uran gets in trouble and you have to go save her? I'll wear a girl scout uniform and sell cookies but if she handles it without you? You have to wear a girl's swim suit, with a skirt, and go to every swimming class at school for one day!"

Astro threw his hand out. "Practice your kirtsy daisy scout."

"Better work on those tan lines Princess." Reno snorted as he shook hands.

End chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

A girl's walkies

An Uran fan fiction

Chapter 2

**Machida Youth Hostle**

**10pm**

Uran walked from the bathroom patting baby powder on her face. "There! Squeaky clean Uran and a squeaking clean kitty!"

She placed the kitten on her futon and rubbed its head slowly as it purred and rubbed against her. " I haven't thought of a name for it yet. I hope the Doctor and my brother will let me keep it."

Houdini sat on her head squawking with displeasure. "Looks like he wants to make sure he gets that two yen in before you even think of bringing that cat home." Miko said as she pulled the covers over her legs. "So are you going to seriously call that man tomorrow?"

"Of course." Uran replied smirking. "I see your jealously isn't slacking."

Miko snorted. "For a robot that mimics humans? I think your programming needs a serious overhaul. I'm only ten and even I know making blind calls is really stupid."

"Hmph!" Uran snorted back. "Will you change your tune when I become really famous?"

"I won't spoil your dreams." Miko said smiling. "But don't change your story if you prove me right ok?"

Miko clicked the light off. "Oh yeah…when you get that dream Oscar tonight? Don't forget to mention me?"

Suddenly Uran threw her pillow across the room. "Yeah right!"

Miko jumped up and threw hers back. "Fish lips!"

Uran threw it back. "Cootie head!"

From then on a wild explosion of feathers filled the room!

**Old Mishu Toy factory**

**Machida**

**Morning **

Grace sat at a table soldering wires and circuit boards to a mechanical arm when her cell phone rang…

"Good morning. Antiox Studios. This is the office of Mister Gluepinski, may I be of service?" Grace said as she motioned to a man sitting nearby.

Uran gave Miko a smirk as she wiggled the phone at her. "This is Uran. Mister Gluepinski asked me to call."

"Oh yes!" Grace replied. "He says you are a good prospect for one of his upcoming projects. Would you be available for a screen test around noon?"

Uran stuck her tongue out at Miko. "Of course I can! Where should I go?"

"It will be an on-site test." Grace said. "I'll let Mister Alibaba give you the details."

The short man standing next to the work desk took the phone. "We're going to hold the screen test at the ball field across the river from Tokyo Hands. Just look for the equipment, myself and my associate." He said as he turned to the larger man with the blonde hair and beard.

"Sure!" Uran replied. "I can't wait!"

"Nor can we." The short man said as he clicked off the phone. "Looks like we got her hooked boss."

Skunk came out of a side room with Hamegg beside him. "So….how much was that exactly?"

Hamegg dropped a roll of money into Skunk's hand. "Half to snag her. The other half when we have her here."

Skunk unrolled the wad and stood counting it. "You do realize how dangerous this is? I'm not going to get skewered by that miserable little rat again. This time he's your problem."

Skunk's short sidekick pushed his finger into Hamegg's chest. "You rat us out? And I'll make you my lead weight designer pin cushion."

"Hey, back off!" Grace said as she pushed the man aside. "Just don't screw up…unlike the other ten or twenty times you had your butts handed to you by Astro. By the way?" Grace said as she turned to Skunk. "How did he get you inside that big tennis ball the last time he caught you?"

Skunk snarled. "That's confidential information. Nosey little gossip factory."

**Volks steak house**

**Machida**

**Morning**

Uran walked out licking her finger tips. "Now that? That was good pancakes!"

"Lucky you." Miko said as she counted the money from her pocket. "My mother's a tyrant when it comes to food. And why should you even bother to eat?"

Uran stopped for a moment and thought. "You know what? I really don't know? I mean I learned it from my brother and now I'm like….what the?"

Miko gestured. "Seriously. Kinda earth shattering huh?"

"I've been drinking oil with flavor lacing for a year now. As a robot I shouldn't care what the taste is like right?" Uran said as she played with her lips. "I just ate twenty pancakes with a ton of maple syrup and now I'm regretting it."

Miko laughed. "Better shut up while you're ahead. You keep thinking about it and your head will blow up."

"Well anyway? What do we do this morning before my big debut?" Uran asked.

"Buy some barf bags in case I get sick?" Miko replied smirking.

Uran pushed softly. "Really silly!"

"I know!" Miko said raising a finger. "We can find a doctor to examine your computer brain for a virus!"

Miko ran with Uran right behind her and stopped in front of a video game house. "How about here?"

"You read my mind didn't you?" Uran replied smiling.

**Doctor O'Shay's House**

**Morning**

Astro sat slowly kicking his legs back and forth while Cora was toying with his insides through the chest hatch.

"These new heat syncs should be fast enough to keep up with your output under really messed up conditions so you'll have more of a buffer than you did before." She said. She put a finger to his nose and smirked. "That doesn't mean you can do whatever you want though. You mess these up and I won't play with you again."

Astro smiled back. "Awww…..you're breaking my heart. Can't you see the pain I'm in?"

Cora closed the hatch and patted his chest. "Don't get any funny ideas about chasing after your sister. I heard about this stupid bet you and Reno made, what makes boys do things that are totally dumb?"

"It's fun?" Astro replied shrugging. "And I wasn't going to "go after" her. Just…just watch her from a distance."

Cora shook her head. "Your sister needs to learn things for herself. She might surprise you."

Astro rubbed his head then took Cora by a hand. "Come with me?"

"What?" She asked as he pulled her into the back yard.

"I just want to show you something." He said softly. "Just something I've been doing for a month. I need your opinion."

Astro took her into Doctor O'Shay's flower garden in a corner of the yard and put his hand over her eyes. "Close your eyes?"

Cora giggled. "What did you do?"

"Close em or I can't show you!" He said as he guided her around. "Now……look."

Cora looked around then downwards to the heart shaped formation of white rocks adorned with multi-colored flowers. In the center there was a picture painted on a large granite centerpiece. It was Astro hugging Cora with the word…"tranquility"….scripted below it

Cora gasped. "Oh my…..you? You did this?"

"Well…it took me a few tries. You know us robots, we're never satisfied because nothings totally perfect but…"

Cora snatched him and hugged him tightly.

"So….it works?" He asked.

"Perfectly." Cora replied.

**Banana Splits Gamers**

**Machida**

"Perfect robotic perception? Told you, you should have gone right." Miko said as she took the 3D video helmet off.

"I could have easily gotten out of it if you had just followed what I said." Uran replied pouting. "The sword swings are front, back, back, left, right, right….and left."

"Was that "right" after I turned around and faced backwards or…."

Uran scratched her head. "You know what? Now I'm confused."

Houdini was sitting on her head and he started rolling around and laughing. "I'm not a ditz! You take that back you silly feather duster!" Uran snorted.

Miko poked her. "I thought robots were supposed to be perfectly aware of direction?"

"Uh uh…" Uran replied. "In the real world we are but if you set up a fake 3D world well enough? You can make our circuits fry from the confusion. Just ask Astro. The only 3D game he can't play is Dragon Master V and he feels so left out when his friends play it."

"Conflicts with the real world huh?" Miko asked as she followed Uran to the batting cages.

"Between keeping track of the real world and the near-real feeling of the game? Astro had to be carried out the last time he tried it. The confusion corrupted all his navigational programming and fried his GPS chips. Reno's working to fix that though."

Uran grabbed a bat and put Houdini on the bat rack. "I want to play pee wee league this year. T-ball is soooo boring."

"Did you put in for it?" Miko asked as she put on a helmet in the next stall.

"Yup. All I have to wait on is for Doctor O'Shay to finish programming the fault and limits program so I can act like a normal kid. The last thing anybody wants to see is me sending a baseball through a parked car."

Miko watched Uran connect with the first baseball and almost break the target hanging on the net that ringed the roof of the game house.

"Or shatter a rib or two." Miko remarked bug eyed. "Look Uran, about this television thing? I don't think we should go."

"There's that jealously streak again." Uran replied pouting.

"At least let me call my Mom and see if she can be there?"

"Oh come on Miko." Uran said as she tapped the bat against her shoulder. "If you're that worried about it? You can hang back a little bit and watch. I've got like 50,000 horsepower in these arms, if anybody tries any dumb stuff I'll turn them into a pretzel!"

Miko huffed. "You can't hurt anyone silly."

"Oh yeah? My brother taught me his number one move, the supersonic atomic wedgie. Think anybody could do anything after being whipped around in a high speed circle from the tag of their underwear?"

"Giggles"…."Do you know how silly you just sounded?" Miko said gasping.

Uran smacked one last ball and took Miko by her hand. "Trust me, Nobody will dare touch us. Astro and me? We're cross fingers! He'll know the micro-second I'm in trouble and he'll be right there!"

**Ministry of Science**

**Mid-Morning**

Astro flew up to the window of Reno's lab and climbed through the sill. "Ok, I'm here!"

Reno took a moment to open Astro's chest panel and plug a reader box into a USB port. "Good! These new heat syncs are working fine."

"Swell!" Astro replied as he closed the panel and walked to the refrigerator.

"Wait…" Reno warned. "We have to run that test I was talking about remember?"

"No way…" Astro replied with a sigh. "Haven't I been tortured enough? Where's the sympathy around here?"

Reno smirked. "Remember "bucket-o-bolts" it's your fault you got side lined in the first place? We have to make sure these things will work under stress."

Astro chewed on an apple fritter. "You're gonna torture me aren't you?"

"I'm looking forward to it." Reno replied smiling.

Astro swallowed and gave Reno a scornful look. "You suck."

Reno walked over and gave Astro a friendly hug. "What would you do without your best friend? You need a little work out anyway…pudgy."

"Nothing from Uran yet." Astro said smiling. "Good for both of us."

"I'm confident." Reno said smiling widely. "By the way? I want my swim suit to be bright pink with white frills."

Astro snickered back. "How about I make you black with blue frills?" 

"You're not welshing already are you?" Reno snorted back as Astro pulled a can of oil from the fridge.

"Absolutely not!" Astro replied. "I'm gonna have Cora sew up your girl scout uniform just the way it should be. It'll accent your ugly butt just perfectly!"

**Noon**

**Metsushima Elementary Ballfield**

**Machida**

Miko followed a few steps behind Uran as they walked through the fence gate and onto the ball field. "Are you being a slow poke on purpose Miko?" Uran asked with a snort. "I told you there's nothing to worry about."

"Well I see nothing wrong with playing things safe." Miko replied. Even Houdini seemed to side with Miko as he flew around Uran chirping up a storm of worry.

"You two are just a pair of scardy cats. Don't worry, you can stand back if you want to but you might regret it if I end up being discovered by Hollywood!"

Miko sighed back and rubbed her head. "Ok! Ok! I'll go with you or I'll never hear the end of it!"

They could see three men around some filming equipment, a large gorilla looking guy, a short slim man wearing a fedora and the man they met yesterday who walked up to the girls with a real toothy grin on his face. "Good, god you decided to come, fantastic!" Hamegg said as he shook Uran's hand.

"Yeah but is this gonna be quick? My friend here is a little impatient." Uran said as she gestured to Miko.

"No problem." Replied Hamegg. "Trust me, it should take two quick shoots and then we'll be done." He directed Uran and Miko to the home plate circle and stood by the camera. "If your friend doesn't want to try out, she can go over to the side with Mister Shima."

Uran looked at Miko. "Your last chance to be a big star?" She said smirking.

"No thanks." Miko replied. "Knock your socks off." She walked over and stood next to Shima as he adjusted dials and levers on a sound board.

Uran stood on the home plate and dropped the short script Hamegg had given her. "Ok, I'm all set!"

Hamegg smiled at her. "Good! Now in this scene kido, you're arguing with your father about a school dance. He absolutely hates your date! Now I wanna to see some emotion, some fire from the feminine belly! Rip your old man apart!"

"Am I doing a drama or a slasher pic?" Uran asked with a smirk.

"Combination, make it interesting, ok! Here we go.....ready......set......shoot!"

Uran interupted. "You mean lights....camera......action!"

Suddenly a flash of light flew from the camera, hit Uran in the chest and threw her against the home plate backstop with a terrible thud! "I KNEW IT!" Miko screamed as she kicked Shima square in his privates and made a run for it!

"GET THAT LITTLE....ow....." Shima withered as he toppled over in pain.

The big flunkie..."Moose"....threw a spinning haymaker at Miko's legs and tripped her up before she could get to the ball field gate, "LET GO OF ME! HELP! HELP ME!" The girl screamed as she tried to fumble with her cell phone only to have it rudely snatched away by Hamegg...

"Oh no my dear, we can't have that now can we?" He said waving the phone in her face. "Don't worry kid? As soon as we get what we want with your little robot friend over there, you can go home."

Miko screamed out. "HOUDINI! GO GET HELP!"

Hamegg turned around to see the small plump bird sitting in the grass behind him. "Hey...gents? GET THE STUPID FEATHER DUSTER!"

Shima and Moose ran and stumbled after the small bird as Houdini ran, jumped and flew around, dodging their silly dancing moves as they tried to catch him. He flew up and found a hole in a tree to coward into till he watched Uran and Miko brutally tossed into a van.

As the vehicle spun out and passed below him, Houdini dove and glided down to the rear door where he rapped his wing around the hand grip. The van vanished into the crowded Saturday shopper filled streets.

**1pm**

**Weapons Test Chamber**

**Ministry of Science**

Astro skittered on his hands and knees behind a busted up car to get a reprive from the insanity Reno had unleashed on him! A 20mm chain gun was chewing sparks in the steel lined floor and chasing him around like a rabid dog!

"I thought this was test, not a suicide mission!" Astro snapped as he jumped to narrowly avoid a rocket bomb that exploded on his heels! He flew up, whipped his backside around and unleashed a stream of 9mm cannon shells at the offending gun turret on the ceiling!

"Nice shot!" Reno yelled. "These syncs are working just great."

"Well if they're working great then....GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Astro demanded.

Reno answered by firing another grenade that exploded behind Astro and threw him into the control room glass, pressing him against it with a contorted dumb look on his face. "If you decided to accept defeat and do your side of the bet, I might think about it?"

Astro smirked back. "Never."

"Alright, you've been tortured enough for today anyways." Reno said as he stopped the test and opened the control room blast door. Cora walked in just as Astro was picking up his clothes...

"Nice tush." She said smiling.

"I'll nice tush you!" Astro snorted back. "What's the big idea of letting Psyco here handle the test? He almost killed me!"

"Quit your whining?" Reno chirped back. "I warned you we had to stress you out to make sure those new heat syncs worked didn't I?"

"Yeah, yeah..."Astro joshed. "So anybody want to do something today?"

Cora


	3. Chapter 3

A girl's walkies

An Uran fan fiction

By Dan Rush

Chapter 3

Cora waved a finger. "Doctor O'Shay wants you back at the house. Says you have things he needs you to finish before you can do anything else."

Astro smiled. "No rest for the abused is there huh?"

"I thought we had Kendo practice today too? The Middle School District meets start next week." Reno said whipping his hands around like a sword. "You're going up against Moi from Sabastino remember?"

Astro smirked. "Still have the memories of the last match. I think I have a counter to his leg sweep trick but I need a poor sap to try it out on and well….guess what Reno?"

"I swear…" Cora said smirking. "Do you guys do this like all the time?"

"Well yeah!" Astro replied with a shrug. "Uh….cept for farting…I can't do that yet but give me time."

**Old Mishu Toy factory**

**Machida**

**1pm**

Miko slid on the floor of the small room as Moose stood blocking her way. "Now don't give us any reason to make you uncomfortable kid, you understand? Keep your little trap shut and you'll be home soon."

Miko ran and slammed herself against the door as it closed! "YOU CREEPS! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO URAN?! (WHAM! WHAM!) LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT YOU BIG JERKS!"

Miko slackened and began to sob when she heard a bird chirping behind her. She looked up to a vent cover to see Houdini looking back at her waving his wings.

"Huh? Houdini? You have to get Astro! Tell him…wait a minute? What am I doing? This isn't Lassie, it's just a bird."

Houdini chirped and beat his wings like crazy in an angry response. "Alright, I believe you!" Miko replied shaking her hands. "Now get out of here and get Astro before it's too late!"

Meanwhile, Skunk and Hamegg were grinning with demonic pleasure as they hovered over Uran as she lay on a table. "Are you sure you can modify her?" Skunk asked as he raised one of Uran's eyelids. "I mean look how small she is?"

Hamegg rubbed his hands together. "You're talking to a career veteran of the robot industry my friend, I can make a toaster think it's an attack dog. Trust me, turning this dainty little darling into a kill bot shouldn't be any problem."

Just as Hamegg touched Uran's skirt, his hand got a rude hard slap with a spatula. "What do you think you're doing?!" Grace said with a menacing frown on her face.

"Modifying this robot, that's what." Skunk said smirking. "You got a problem with that?"

"Yeah…like she's a girl and you two are men. GET OUT!"

"Are you crazy?" Skunk demanded. "It's a robot!"

Grace dropped the spatula and snatched up a chain saw. "Need I say anything else?"

"Alright!" Skunk snorted out. "Where did you pick up Miss Psyco anyway Egghead?

"Just remember to follow the blueprints darling." Hamegg said as he rubbed Grace's hair. "I want her to be a mean little badass when you're done!"

Grace pursed her lips and nodded as Skunk and Hamegg left. "Dumb mooks! The nerve of em huh?" She said as she started pulling tools from a bag. "When I'm done she'll make Nuns in a Catholic School beg forgiveness."

**Doctor O'Shay's House**

"Well....that didn't go as planned." Astro said as he scratched his head and looked at the torn up part of the driveway with a worried face. "Well....the Doctor said "Pull the stump! He didn't tell me how to do it without wrecking the driveway."

"Wow!" Tamao said as he coasted into the driveway and saw the mess. "What happened?"

Astro shrugged. "Monkey fought the football and the football kinda won."

"You're still trying to use those clinches huh? Well it's "Football-1, Monkey Zero." Pinball machine." Tamao said as he looked at the stump. "Anybody knows Astro that you gotta cut the roots loose before you pull a stump."

"Oh yeah?" Astro replied. "I could have used that advice like ten minutes ago."

Tamao followed Astro into the back yard where he watched Astro climb a ladder. "I'm supposed to trim this tree out."

"Where's your saw?" Tamao asked. "You're not going to just chop the limb off with your hands?"

Tamao walked over to a small shed and came back with a saw. "You hold the limb, I'll cut it. See you'll do too much damage to the tree if you snap the branch."

Astro jumped off the ladder, flew under the large branch and held it over his head. "So...You still having dates with Mimi-chan?"

"Yeah!" Tamao smiled as he finished cutting off the branch. "I'm gonna take her to the Flight Museum next week. What about you and Cora?"

Astro dropped the branch and flew over to another one after taking the saw from Tamao. "I dunno...we're close friends. You know how complicated a real relationship would be. After all....I'm a robot and she's human."

"To be honest?" Tamao said. "I don't think she cares."

"Well...the Ministry of Science isn't going to spend the millions it would take to update my looks every year so...you kinda see the dillema here?"

Tamao shook his head. "Like I said....she doesn't care."

"Well....anyway...." Astro said as they walked into the house. "Her birthday's coming up and I've been pouring over statistical data on what's the best gift for a girl when she turns fifteen."

"There you go again!" Tamao snapped. "Analizing everything with "imperical data" and "number crunches". For once Astro? Just go out any buy her something off the cuff so she won't be disapointed...like the last birthday. Sheesh, I gotta teach you how to trend watch girls."

"I thought she liked the Jonus Brothers?" Astro asked shrugging.

"She used the CD for a suncatcher in her room. Now Anya? She likes Anya." Tamao said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around Astro's shoulder. "Yup! Time for you to learn from Tamao's Barbazon school of girl watching!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Old Mishu Toy factory**

**Machida**

**3pm**

Grace emerged from the room wiping her hands. "She's done."

Skunk and hamegg walked into the room expecting to see Uran warped into some mean looking kill-bot. Insted...

"Hey? What the heck?" Skunk protested. "You didn't do a damn thing!"

Grace snorted. "Well not on the outside dufus! You must be a girl hater, she's way too sweet looking to ruin."

"Are you sure you followed the blueprints?" Hamegg asked as he walked around the table rubbing his head.

"Like I said." Grace said smiling. "She's so kicked up inside she'll make Nuns beg forgiveness, trust me."

Grace walked over to a power panel and grabbed a switch. "I'd stand back for a bit. Give her time to wake up? You know how cranky we girls are in the morning!"

Grace threw the switch and for a moment the room turned a hue of blue from the released electricity being fed into Uran's body. Hamegg leaned over and smirked. "Is she toast yet?"

"Back off!" Grace warned. "You're just begging to be electricuted aren't you?" She turned the switch off and walked over to the table.

Skunk threw his hands up and twittled his fingers. "It's alive! It's alive!"

"Shut up?" Grace warned as she leaned over the table and looked into Uran's face. "She should have woke up."

"Are you sure you followed my instructions?" Hamegg asked as he poked at the prints in his hand. "I made em simple enough you know."

"What do you think she is, a silly "Snap-on" model? Grace snorted. Suddenly...Uran's eyes blinked open. "Ah! There we go, see...I told you I could do it." Grace smiled at Uran. "How you feeling there champ?"

Uran smiled back. Then her normally cute brown eyes? Became a shocking bright hue of red...

Grace dove for the floor as Uran jumped from the table!

**Doctor O'Shay's house**

**3pm**

Astro forwent the bulky Kendo gear, as if he ever needed it anyway. He bowed once more to Reno and took up the ready stance with his bamboo sword.

"So?...Anything from Uran yet?" Reno asked.

"So far no." Astro replied. "I forgot to ask you how many merit badges you needed on your Girl Scout uniform."

"You did remember I wanted white frils on your swim suit right?" Reno snorted back.

Tamao contorted his face and raised a hand. "Whatever new stupidity you two have ventured on this time? Leave me out of it please?"

At the drop of his hand, Tamao jumped back as the two boys went at it, swinging wildly against each other...

"Crack! Crack!" "You're better than last time!" Astro shouted as he rolled around Reno's shoulder to get behind him.

"Crack!" "That was a predictable move!" Reno replied as he blocked a swing.

"Oh yeah!"Astro snorted as he swung low for Reno's legs. "Your shoes have to be pink by the way!"

"Crack! Tap!" Reno blocked the low swing and nailed Astro off the cheek with an up-swing. "Starting to get a little stupid with this bet aren't we?"

"Don't make me suggest a runway walk." Astro warned. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

Reno and Tamao heard the noise coming from the phone and watched Astro's face contort. "What? How did you get my number? I'm gonna report you to the police, that's what I'm gonna do before I come after you...what? What's she? Huh?...You're drinking aren't you?..."

The phone clicked off and Astro stood looking at it with a sarcastic smirk. "Skunk got my cell number, what a creep."

"Sounds like he's got more than that." Reno said as he dropped his kendo stick over his shoulder.

"Just stupid jibberish." Astro huffed. "He's probably got another dumb trap waiting for me, well I'm not nibbling." Astro raised his Kendo stick. "Round three?"

Reno dropped into his ready stance and the two boys were ready to go at it again when Houdini came over the house flapping and chirping madly to a bumpy landing against Astro's forehead...

"Hey? Houdini?...slow down! I can't understand you remember?" Astro said as he held the exhausted bird.

"You can't read that?" Tamao said as he pointed to Houdini. "Doesn't he hang around with Uran? If he's chirping like that, something's gotta be wrong!"

Astro put his hands close to his face. "Is that true Houdini?"

The little bird churped madly again!

Reno made a slight smirk. "Looks like you lost your bet."

"Who cares about the stupid bet!" Astro replied miffingly. "Houdini? Where's Uran? Take me to her!"

The boy bot took a few steps and blasted off over the house and towards Machida, leaving Reno with a whicked smile on his face.

"You're a jerk!" Tamao snorted in Reno's face. "Uran could be in big trouble and you're smiling over it?"

"Such a lack of faith!" Reno snorted back. "Pffh! It's Astro, like anything's really going to be a problem?"

**Old Mishu Toy factory**

**Machida**

Astro dropped from the sky and landed with a slide through the dirt at the front of the old factory. "Is she in there Houdini?"

The little bird replied with a few chirps then suddenly jumped off Astro's shoulder with a screech!

"WOE!" Astro yelped as he rolled to the side to avoid getting smacked with an abandoned metal press brake machine that came crashing through the wall and bounced over Astro's head! He turned to watch it crash into a dumpster then turned back to get a fist smashed into his kisser!

The impact felt like a four-lighted Bento truck had creamed him! Astro bounced over the ground till he flattened out against the wrecked press bake! "That's gonna be a nasty dent!" He snarled as he shook off the impact and focused in on the offending...target?

"Uh...Sis?" Astro quized as he watched Uran walk towards him with her head down and the nastiest smirk on her face. "Hey? Remember me?" Astro said with his hands out. "Astro? Your loving older brother?"

Uran held her hands out and gave Astro a warm smile...before she picked him up off the ground and tossed him like a bullet through the front door of the old factory!

Astro crashed through the office lobby, through another set of double doors and slid to a stop in the old workshop shaking his head..."Oh...kay... she's just having one of those really bad moments." He said as he got to his feet!

Just then screams raged over Astro's head and he looked up to see Skunk, Hamegg and Grace hanging onto the crossbeams of the roof above. "DO SOMETHING YOU STUPID BALL OF SCRAP! SHE'S GONE NUTS!"

Astro snarled as Uran came charging through the broken doors and took wild swings at her brother as he ducked and backed away. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER YOU CREEPS!" Astro yelled. "URAN! CUT IT OUT!"

Hamegg yelled at Grace. "Are you sure you followed my directions?"

"Well..." Grace replied with a quizical face. "I might have ad lib'd a bit?"

Astro huffed as Uran almost pinned him against a wall..."Oh fantastic! I'm sorry Sis but I still love you ok?" Astro caught one of Uran's punches, rolled her over his shoulder and carefully locked her into a wrestling hold..."Astro's Pretzel Lock!" He shouted...then he contorted his face. "Oh...kay...that was kinda corney...Gnah! It's like trying to wrestle a mad tiger!"

Uran broke free, turned around and punched Astro through the drywall, watching him tumble head over feet down a flight of stairs and into the basement of the factory. She stood there for a moment, her face looking like a silly possessed fox demon with a devious smirk before she jumped up and took off through the roof past a cringing Skunk.

"You gave her rocket legs?" He asked Grace. "Fantastic! Now...you did give me a way to control her right?"

Just then...Skunk turned his head to face a very upset Astro who gripped him by his black trench coat..."We're...gonna have a little talk!"

Miko stood by holding Houdini in her hands while Astro finished tying up the three miscriants to a support post, talking to them as he finished every crazy looking rope knot he could dream up. "How...DARE YOU! GNAH!" Astro was fired up angry..."YOU MESSED WITH MY SISTER! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU DID!"

Hamegg smirked. "Well...it sort of met my expectations?" He said evilly. He knew Astro couldn't do anything worse and he was getting great satisfaction at watching the hated robot boil. "Too bad huh kid? You ruin my life and now you can enjoy the same frustration."

Miko was worried Astro would snap but he slackened and sighed with worried resignation as he walked up to her. "Oh...boy...we have to stop her, who knows what's gonna happen with her acting all crazy."

"You know where she flew off to?" Miko asked worried.

She followed Astro outside where he stood silently with his eyes closed for a moment..."Nope...they messed up her GPS too." Astro looked back at the building for a moment and Miko gasped.

"You're not going to hurt them are you?" She asked worried.

"You kidding?" He replied smiling. "Though making them piss their pants would be sort of sweet revenge..." Astro tapped his head..."Reno? I really need your help right now."

"I changed my mind." Reno replied giggling. "Make that fire red with pinkish frills."

"Will you lay off the stupid bet!" Astro snarled back. "My sister's in...well...the whole city's in danger and your stuck on that stupid bet!"

"Well...you did lose. Just saying." Reno replied. "Where is she?"

Astro wrapped an arm around Miko and blasted off. "I can't find her. Skunk's got her all messed up and she's gonna make one heck of a mess if we don't get her under control soon."

"I'll get the rest of the guys and come out with the Captain. See you over Melody Park alright?" Reno paused. "Oh yeah...a white flower centered on your top too."

Miko contorted her face and look at her embarrassed partner. "A top? Pink frills? What's he talking about?"

"Ugh...long story but he might end up as the first human I put into a hospital on purpose believe me."


	5. Chapter 5

**Nori Street**

**Downtown Machida**

Mister Inuchiwa finished serving another happy customer a bowl of his best home made ice cream when he looked down to see Uran looking up at him with a curiously demonic look on her face...

"May I help you there young lady?" He asked as he leaned against his counter. "Will that be a cone or a dish?"

Suddenly Uran jumped onto the counter, snatched the shocked man by his white ice cream serving coat and soared through the fabric awning above!

"AHHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HELP! HELP ME!" Suddenly came through Astro's sensitive electronic ears. "Looks like I didn't have to go far!" He said as he dropped out of the sky to find poor Inuchiwa hanging from a tree branch by a belt loop...

"That little girl's crazy!" He said panicing as he pointed down to his ice cream booth where Uran was piling on a supper towering gooey mess of ice cream greatness!

"That's normal." Astro said as he dropped down, gently pushed Miko aside and stomped towards the ice cream booth. "All right Uran! That's enough! I want you to put a stop to this so we can fix you now quit it!"

Uran froze as her brother came closer. She may have looked suddenly normal but the moment he reached out his hands...

"SUCKER!" She screamed as she nailed him in the face with the pile of ice cream! Astro stumbled and fumbled around the booth trying to catch her and as she dodged a wild swing of his arm, Uran saw the green waste band of Astro's shorts sticking up over his pants!

Do you think she couldn't resist such a glorious opportunity? "RIIIIIP!"

Miko shook from the ear pearcing scream that roared from the booth and cringed as Uran walked up to her. She stopped, patted Miko's hair, pointed back to Astro as he stumbled from the booth and said...

"Hah hah! Dork!" Before she flew off laughing hystericly.

Miko ran to the struggling Astro and saw his black shorts flapping out of his pants and tears rolling down his face. "Are you alright? What did she do? Are your circuits ok?"

Astro looked up with his lips quivering..."She gave me a wedgie..."

Miko cocked her head surprised. "She...can do that?"

Astro stood up, his face almost lobster red from the people who witnessed the hillarious specticle, and stumbled towards a nearby portable toilet..."Gimmie a few minutes? ow...ow..."

"Hey Astro?" Came the voice of Reno over Astro's head. "We're here at the park, where are you?"

Astro came stomping out of the portable toilet. "Dealing with a road rash."

"Did you find Uran yet?" Cora's voice asked.

"Yeah...and she's not her normal pretty self right now so watch your back...aaaaaaand your underwear tags." Astro snatched Miko and they lifted off again.

"You see anything?" Astro asked Miko. "I was expecting some smoke or an explosion or something disasterous by now."

"Such confidence." Miko said smirking. "Then again...look!"

Miko pointed towards the Machida Zoo at the people running out of the front gate.

"Animals and Uran, I should have guessed." Astro said shaking his head as he flew down inside the park. "Hey Reno? I think she's in the Machida Zoo...judging by the panic level."

Astro landed in the food court and looked around with his multiple vison sensors while he pushed Miko into one of the vending booths.

"Slap!" "Will you cut it out and let me help? She's my friend!" Miko complained.

Astro smirked back. "Well...your 50,000 horsepower friend's a little off her stabilizer now and I don't want you to get hurt."

Miko suddenly pointed out to the serving tables and Astro turned to see a large kangeroo hopping and sniffing about. "Great! She's letting the animals out!" Astro said as he slowly walked and spoke quietly to the towering marsupial..."Hi...how about we take a nice walk together? Back to your pen, I'll get you some carrots and everything will be just great huh?"

Astro calmly reached out and petted the creature, much to his relief that it was friendly...till it reared up on its muscular tail and kicked him like a soccer ball into the concession stand Miko was hiding in!"

Miko leaped and rolled out of the stand as the Kangeroo bounced in and went at Astro like Clubber Lang beating Rocky's head in! "OUCH! QUIT IT! "THWACK!" ARGH! "THWAP!" CUT IT OUT!"

Miko watched as Astro and the Kangeroo rolled out of the stand with Astro wrapped around one of the big legs trying to keep the angry animal pinned to the ground. "I'M DEFFINATLY GOING TO ASK FOR A BIGGER ALLOWANCE AFTER THIS!" He screamed. "I wish...grrrr... I could talk to animals like Uran does!"

Unfortunatly for Astro, he didn't know he'd had a female kangeroo by her leg. It soon became obvious when her Joey sprang from the pouch and started whaling on Astro's head!

"AAAH! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" "WHACK, WHACK, WHACK" THAT DOES IT!"

Astro threw the Joey off and blasted himself clear of the angry animals. He grabbed Miko, flew from the food court and landed near the Sea Lion exhibit where he dropped to his knees. "She's got to be around here somewhere." He said rubbing his head furiously.

"Meow..."

Miko caught the sound of a small cat and turned about to see a little white lion cub stumbling around the ground. "Oh..." She cooed as she walked over and picked the crying baby lion up in her arms. "Oh look Astro! Oh he's sooooo kowai!"

Astro's eyes bugged and he gently took the cub from Miko's hands. "Uh...we better return this little guy to his pen like quick? Where there's a lion cub around, there's usually a..."

"ROOOOAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" The ear splitting roar of a huge male while lion made Astro quake and made Miko instantly disapear in a mad scramble up a nearby tree!

Astro slowly turned his head around and gave the snarling beast a cute smile. "Hah hah...I...guess this is yours?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Astro ran around the tree with the big lion in hot pursuit! "Take it, take it, take it!" He screamed to Miko as he tried to pass the cub to her!

"I don't want it!" She yelled back!

"Right now I don't care!" Astro replied as he threw the cub into her arms and slid around to graple the bigger lion with his powerful arms. Both the boy bot and the beast tumbled end over end till Astro had the lion laying on his back and worked his hands furiously over it's belly...

"I hope this works on lions like it does on cats!" Astro said as he warmed up his palms and massaged the lion till it fell into a contented sleep. "Whoooo! Well I do know a few tricks I guess."

Miko climbed down from the tree and walked over to the sleeping lion. "What did you do?"

"I put it to sleep." Astro replied. He took the cub from Miko's hands and snatched the sleeping adult by his mane. "Let me get these cats back to their pen. Stay here and don't move ok? If you see Uran, try to stall her till I get back."

"Hey Astro!" Came Kennedy's voice from above. Astro and Miko looked up to see the Captain hovering above them. "Where can we land?"

"Not down here." Astro replied as he flew up with the lions in his hands. "I have to get these guys back to their pen, have you seen her yet?"

"Nope!" Tamao said shaking his head. "But I bet if we follow the trail of chaos she won't be too far behind."

Astro noticed that Reno was smiling. "You lost our bet and you're smiling? Oh yeah, you have to wear panties with flowers on them too."

"My, my..." Reno snorted back with a snear. "You're so confident that you won and it's not even over yet."

"Duh!" Astro replied. "Obviously you need glasses Reno?"

Abercrombie was scratching his head. "Ugh...panties? What kind of bet did you two make?"

"Don't worry about it." Reno replied smirking. "I won't be the one making a fool of myself."

Astro just ignored him and flew the lions back to their pen. meanwhile, Miko was staying still at the base of the tree she was under...till a pack of monkies came running by, snatched her up and carried her screaming through the park!

"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN! ASTRO! HELP!" Miko screamed as the monkies carried her through the gate of their pen and up too a formation of rocks at the center. They carefully put her on her feet, formed a line, bowed to the small girl sitting like a king on the rock formation then marched off like a squad of Marines on a drill field.

Uran sat authoritively. A mop handle for a septer and a Hiroshima Carps baseball cap cocked hillariously on her head. "You better stay here where it'll be safe Miko-chan. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you." Uran said as she bounced off the rocks and tapped the mop handle in her hands. "Now as for Astro Boy? That's another story."

Miko frowned. "Uran! You're not in your right mind. Those creeps have you all messed up!"

"Do they?" Uran snorted back. "Grace opened my eyes girl! I've always been meak and cute, playing second fiddle while my big brother got all the glory and made me look like a dumb paper weight...ugh ugh...time to hear this girl roar!"

"But people are going to get hurt Uran!" Miko yealled. "You have lions running loose in the park!..."

Uran smiled. "My good friend have you forgotten that I'm attuned to our furry cousins? They won't hurt a single human, I won't let them! But Astro? Oh no...he's all fair game and he's going to get his "come upings" for all the years he's made me a dragging doll behind his boots." Uran gave her a whicked snicker.

Astro hovered just above the spot where Miko had been with the Captain hovering next to him. "She's gone!"

"Well knowing your little sister she couldn't have taken her far from here." Reno said pursing his lips. "So what exactly happened?"

Astro replied frowning. 'Skunk's what happened. He tampered with Uran and now she's running crazy."

"And this is different from the other times?" Ken said shurgging his shoulders.

"She can fly." Astro replied. "And she controls the park."

Suddenly from out of no where a huge eagle swooped down and snatched poor Tamao by his shirt! "AAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Now we're nto even safe in the air!" Astro screamed as he rocketed after the fast twisting bird of pray. "HE'S GONNA EAT ME! GET ME DOWN, GET ME DOWN! I'M GONNA HURL!"

The eagle stopped in mid-air and flicked Tamao out of his tallons like a speeding baseball! Astro flew ahead, skidded to a stop at the edge of a water pool and bounced Tamao off his chest as he flopped backwards into the water!

"WOE!" Tamao yelped as he looked over the edge to see a dark form racing up from below! It broached the surface and landed half way onto the concrete pool side with Astro locked in it's cavernous Orca jaws!

Tamao tried to grab Astro's hand only to get his slapped away. "You want to lose that?" Astro snapped as he held the whale's maw open with one hand while tickling it with the other. "Hope you got a funny bone!" He chuckled as the whale began to weeze and sniffle around him...

"AAAAAAHHHHHH...CHEW!" The killer whale blew a big sneeze and popped Astro from his mouth...unhappilly covered in whale snot...

Tamao cringed as Astro stood dripping in a green looking ooze. "Ugh...No way I'm touching you..."

Astro stood flicking the gunk off his body. "That's gratitude for saving your butt? Thanks a lot!"

Suddenly a devious childish laughter came from behind the pair. "Well well..."giggles"...snot looks so good on you big brother!"

Astro turned to see Uran perched on the decorative rocks behind the whale pool with an army of monkies attending to her. "I guess you're looking for me huh?"

Astro snorted. "You know this is wrong Uran no matter what Skunk did to you. At least you still call me your big brother so everythings not all screwed up."

Uran snickered. "When this is done? You'll be sucking my toes and calling me your master. I'm sick of being your little cute skirtsy prop."

Astro softened his face. "Sis...you were never a prop and you know that. Well...you've been a pain in my behind but I can deal with that. But this isn't you, I know you."

Uran scoffed and paced about. "Obviously I didn't know myself well enough to realize what a fool I've been! Every day it's "Astro this...Astro that...Astro the hero...Astro the...well I'm all Astroed out! It's time for Uran Atom to take her place over Metro City and make her big brother walk on a leash for once!"

Astro curled his hands but didnt raise them up. "It's obviously useless trying to talk sense into you when your programmings been altered...Uran, don't make me have to get a little rough with you."

Uran threw her hands on her hips. "Go ahead and try it!"

Astro blasted from the edge of the pool and arced downwards as Uran jumped from the rocks and slid to a stop. "Gotcha!" She screamed as she threw a hand to her mouth and whistled a tune across the water!

Astro almost grabbed her when a powerful fluke slammed into his side and sent him tumbling into the water! "WHAT THE!" He screamed as he was suddenly thrown into the air and batted around like a tennis ball between two high jumping dolphins!

Uran was laughing herself silly! "Way to go guys! Shoot em into the net!"

Another good whap! and Astro flew end over end, crashing into the backboard of a basketball net and falling butt first into an embarrassing folded up jack-knife into the rim of the net.

"Hip Hip Horray, this isn't your day!" Uran yelled as she lifted off into a hover. "I can come up with stupid catch phrases like my dumb brother too! Tally Ho!" Uran took off, leaving Astro to stew as the Captain came down from above...

"Guys? You even so much as peep something and I'll feed you all to the dolphins." Astro said frowning.

Ken rached out and helped him climb onto the Captain. "She's really gone and flipped out." Ken said as Astro rubbed his arms.

"Yeah...and I'm afraid to go all out on her but she's gotta be stopped."

Reno was smiling evilly from behind. "Can't handle her? I bought you some pink sneekers."

Astro snapped his head around. "WILL YOU LAY OFF THE STUPID BET!"

"Woe! Aren't we a little cranky? Come on "buck-o-bolts" use that brain of yours and think!" Reno said throwing his arms out.

"We have to get her away from this park." Astro replied. "While she's here, she has all the advantages."


	6. Chapter 6

A girl's walkies

chapter 6

"Then maybe we need to get under her skin a little?" Kenichi said. "You know how angry she can get when she gets picked on right?"

Astro pursed his lips. "You ever seen her throw a set of money bars?"

"You want to get her away from the park right?" Kenichi threw a finger forwards. "Start pedeling extra hard!"

Astro poured his power into his legs and the Captain jumped forwards, the wind whipping around the riders as it picked up speed!

"Abercrombie? You have that sling shot?" Kenichi asked the large boy in the middle of the row of seats.

Abercrombie pulled a wrist rocket from his jacket. "Oh yeah! And plenty of ball bearings too!"

Astro frowned. "You're not going to shoot at my sister with that?"

Abercrombie smirked. "I can knock a fly off a soda can at twenty yards with this thing, don't lose your oil over it."

Tamao waved his arms and pointed to the ground. "I see her guys! But you're not going to like what's comming!"

Suddenly a coconut came whipping up from the ground and brushed Astro off the tip of his nose, almost throwing him off his seat!

"INCOMING!" Kenichi screamed as he pulled on his stearing handle and threw the Captain into the hard banking turn to avoid a salvo of coconuts!

"She's with the monkey's again!" Miko screamed as she wrapped her arms around Astro's waist.

"They're in good company." Astro mussed. He couldn't just leap off the Captain and go after her for fear it would be a slow moving sitting duck above the monkey cage and from the looks of it, Uran had turned it into a German Flaktorren pit! Now rocks and chunks of wood were joining the coconut assault from below!

Abercrombie pulled a ball bearing from a pocket, popped into the leather pouch of his wrist rocket and stuck his tongue through his lips as he drew a bead on Uran's head!

"Watch where you're aiming!" Astro yelled as Abercrombie let fly!

The ball bearing nailed the brim of Uran's Carp hat and flung it off her head! "CREEP!" She screamed back shaking her fist in the air. Another shot bounced off the top of her head and sent her diving for the ground!

"The great Uran Atom afraid of a sling shot?" Abercrombie teased. "Typical girl!"

Uran jumped up, picked up a coconut and hurled it up and through the Captain's cloth wind sail. "Come down here and I'll show you who's a typical girl you big fat jerk!"

Astro smirked as he looked back. "You're making her mad."

"Anything to get her away from the park right?" Abercrombie smiled as he looked down on Uran and razzled her. "Hey Uran? Your brother says you wet the bed still! Wait till I tell everyone at school about that!"

Uran shook and scowled. "You won't have to wait too long! I'm gonna come up there and turn that stupid toy of yours into a pretzel!"

Uran launched herself towards the Captain as Astro kicked his pedaling into high gear. The wind bike sailed beyond the border fence of the zoo and out over the larger city park beyond with Uran closing fast from behind!

"Get ready guys!" Astro said as he jumped atop his seat and flipped around to face his oncomming sister. "Abercrombie? Can you hit her between the eyes?"

"Just a little love tap right?" The big boy said as he drew a bead on Uran's face. "I won't even leave a bruise."

Abercrombie let the ball bearing fly!

Uran slid through the air to a dead stop, trying to avoid the ball as it bounced off her forehead, when Astro tackled her and rolled end over end to a bouncing landing in a patch of bushes below!

Astro struggled to keep a grip on his wildly kicking sister as he pulled her up and kept a steel grip around her waist..."URAN! GNAH! CUT IT OUT!"

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU ASTRO I'LL!" It felt like he had a rabid cat on his hands! Astro increased his grip till he had Uran on her knees huffing and snorting. "Sis...stop doing this please?" He pleaded with her...

"I hate you!" Uran snorted back. "You always get noticed! Everybody talks about you all the time!"

"We've all been trying to help you!" Astro snapped back. "You've always been important to me and right now this is killing me!" Astro rubbed his face in Uran's hair sobbing as he did..."Skunk's messed with my little sister and you think I don't care! Please Sis! Let me help you!"

Astro felt Uran slacken in his arms..."I'm sorry..." She said softly. "I don't know what he did Big Brother but I'll stop till you get me fixed."

Astro sighed with relief and smiled. "I knew that creep couldn't really change my kid sister." He allowed her to slip out of his arms and held her hand. "Come on Uran...I'm sure the Doctor can fix this."

Uran turned around and rubbed Astro on the cheek. "I always believe you...how stupid you can be!"

She grabbed him up quickly and slammed him into a nearby trashcan! "WHAM!" Then Uran threw it in the air, jumped up and did a spinning soccer kick!

The trashcan flew through the air and slammed into the side of a building! "YEAH! YOU'RE SUCH A STUPID TRUSTING IDIOT ASTRO!" Uran screamed and snarled before she blasted back into the air!

Seeing what happened from the air, Kenichi quickly brought the captain down and ran to the crumpled trashcan, catching Astro as he stumbled out of it. "You and trashcans seem to have something special going."

Astro sat holding his head and wincing. "I heard that in a movie I think...ouch! She can kick harder than before..."

"Well she does have a point." Reno said smirking. "You sure fell for the soft touch."

Astro sighed as he took a moment to wait for his head to stop ringing. "I don't want to get any rougher with her!"

Miko raised a finger. "Maybe you need to let us girls sort this out?"

Astro pursed his lips. "Ok? You want to take on all that grumpy horse power? Be my guest."

"We shouldn't throw any option out." Ken said as he walked back to the Captain. "If I know Inspector Towashi by now? He's got the whole police force rolling out to find Uran and you know how he over-reacts."

Astro slapped his head and turned to Miko. "Are you sure you want to try and talk to her?"

"Hey...she may be hot headed right now but we're still tight like nuts and bolts. And the good thing is? Grace didn't make her all mean and rotten...well...except for you."

**Evening**

**Eno-Machida suburb**


	7. Chapter 7

**Evening**

**Eno-Machida suburb**

"Giggles" "It didn't take him long." Uran said to herself as she pressed against the side of a building and watched a pair of National Constabulary dog cruisers pass by with their search light beams sweeping the street around her.

"Heh! Big brother's so frustrated he had to call the police. More fun for me." She said with a devious grin. "What trouble could I start now?"

She thought about flying home and grabbing her art kit from under her bed. She could draw all kinds of insulting pictures all over the streets and really make Astro mad. Things like stealing, breaking stuff and ruining people's property were out but nobody said practical pitfalls were illegal. As she skulked around a small cry not too far off caught her ears and she was up and rocketing quick, trying to find where it was coming from!

At the same time the 8 o'clock evening train from Shinjuku was entering the outskirts of Eno-Machida. It's driver Emi Fushima had just finished sending a radio call to the upcoming station when she lurched hard in her seat! behind her cab she could hear the sounds of passengers being thrown about the car and pounded a fist into the console!

"What?" Emi suddenly said with a shock as she saw a little girl poke her head up above the window to her side. "ARE YOU CRAZY!" She demanded. "DO YOU KNOW THE PROBLEMS YOU JUST CAUSED?"

"HMPH!" Uran snorted. "The only thing I saw was how your stupid train was about to run over this poor kitten! How can humans be so smart not to build a kitty protector on their trains?" Uran said as she pounded a foot on the ground. "No problem is worse than a poor kitten about to be hit by a dumb stupid train!"

Suddenly the train became illuminated by blinding search lights! "Hold it right there young lady!" Boomed a voice from a microphone. "This is Inspector Towashi Uran, you're in a lot of hot water!"

Uran stood holding the kitten and pointing to the driver. "It's not me who almost killed a defenseless kitten! Arrest her, she's the criminal!"

Towashi stomped forwards with two officers behind him. "Little lady...the only one who needs arresting is you! I think your little tamper rampage has gone on long enough now come over here before I get really angry!"

Uran snorted back. "Angry? Oh you haven't seen angry yet. Obviously my dumb brother had to call you because he's too whimpy to get his butt beat by his little sister...oh well...you guys will just be a warm up then."

One cute smirk and off Uran went! Over Towashi's head, over the reach of the police behind him and atop her new play toys!

("Wanna guess the next thing? Ugh...URAN!" Astro)

An hour later, the Captain landed amidst a scene of insane "car-nage" with dog cruisers hanging from trees or thrown atop buildings or imbeded in dirt and concrete. Astro and the gang walked about in total mindless absurdity at the multitude of wedgies delivered and the dispirited looks of the poor police who suffered from them...

Then there was Inspector Towashi, sitting on a curb mourning the pretzel tied mess that was his favorite revolver. "Look what she did to Sadayoshi! My wife gave me that gun for my birthday! That little brat ruined my Sadayoshi!"

Towashi balled his eyes out as Astro tried to console him."I'm sorry Inspector...Uran's not herself, don't hate her."

Towashi gave Astro a serious frown. "Don't hate her? She's busted my cars, given my men wedgies and ruined my favorite gun and I shouldn't hate her? I knew when they gave you bots a little freedom, you'd screw it all up!"

Tamao pulled Astro backwards by his shoulders. "Oh boy...you got him spun up."

"I was only being truthfull." Astro said shurgging as Towashi's tyrade gave the Captain time for a quick retreat.

As they flew off again over Machida, Kenichi yawned deeply. "I can't keep this up all night. Man our parents are gonna kill us for staying out late."

"I appreciate the help." Astro said as he looked around. "You guys want to find a place to sleep? I 'll keep looking around and see if I can catch up too her."

"Hopefully Miko will have better luck." Reno said as he dropped the binocullars he'd been using into a hip pouch. "Uran's probably found a place herself by now."

**Meji Park**

**Midnight**

Miko looked inside the play house and sure enough there was Uran sitting in a corner petting the kitten she'd saved from the train a while back. "Why did I think you'd pick such an obvious place?" She said smirking. "You're not going to take off or do something crazy?"

Uran patted the ground beside her. "Are you kidding? Even I need to rest you know. So how's my brother?"

Miko sat and took the cat from Uran's hands. "Worried sick and shorted out like everyone else. My mom's so going to kill me for staying up like this. You are so deep in trouble right now."

Uran huffed and wrapped her arms around her head. "But it feels so great! I think Grace actually did a favor, before I felt so shut in and restricted by my programming. You don't have a big brother so I didn't expect you'd understand."

"Big brother or not Uran, you're causing a lot of trouble! This isn't like you, next thing you'll start spray painting stuff and acting like Atlas! He's a total creep and then I won't like you any more."

Uran leaned over against Miko and smirked at her. "How quickly you forget? Don't you remember the great Sotetsu caper of May?"

"Huh?" Miko replied.

"The eggs? The humilliation of those boys who threw eggs all over you, Emiko and Rhekoni while you were selling girl scout cookies?"

Miko frowned. "Yeah? But what does this have to do with that? None of these boys were even involved."

"Ah...but there was one." Uran said smiling. "Reno? I overheard him plotting the whole thing."

Miko snorted back. "Oh no way! Reno wouldn't do that!"

Uran coyishly played with her lips. "Wow...could I be lying? You know that's so impossible...robots can't lie."

Miko thought for a moment then snorted. "Oh...oh that mean dirty rotten..."

"Uh huh!" Uran said pointing to Miko's nose. "Uh huh! Now the question is...do you want revenge? Do you trust me? Help me make a fool out of my big brother and I'll help you give Reno something he'll never forget!"

Miko shook Uran's hand. "But! I'm only doing this on the conditions that no one gets hurt and you don't destroy half the city!"

"I...might fudge on that just a tin bit." Uran said devilishly. "Let's call this...Operation Double Dorkasaurus hunt?"

"Ok..." Miko replied. She then looked around at the model ship. "Uh...it's kinda late and there's no place to sleep."

Uran waved a finger then pulled a pair of sleeping bags from behind her. "I thought ahead. Took em from a camping store but I left some yen on the counter for them."

As they tucked themselves in for the rest of the night, Miko pulled out her cell phone and sent a quick text message. "I'm just planning ahead in case we get into real super big trouble. Knowing you it won't take that long."

"Obviously!" Uran replied as she wrapped herself up in her bag. "Night night!"

**Morning**

**A circle K store**

**Machida**

The boys pased the night in the rough and it showed. Reno was still half awake as he sat on a stone wall sipping a hot can of coffee while the others pulled pastry and hot coco from a bag Astro had brought out of the store.

"You make a lousy pillow." Abercrombie snorted as he butted Tamao in the side.

"Oh bite me!" The skinny boy returned. "You were as hot as a furnace! And I would have slept better without your knee jabbing my back!"

Astro smiled. "Come on guys, I tried my best to find a good place. Blame me for giving Uran my hostile card huh?"

"Well it's not like you'd have a problem sleeping Astro." Ken said as he sat tightening the chain on the Captain. "So where too this morning? Back to the zoo? I heard the police crusing around town all night."

Astro brought up a map over his eyes and studied it. "Yeah...she must have been real busy. I don't think she'll use the Zoo again though. One thing about Uran, she gets super board with things real quick so she'll hunt for some new place to cause trouble."

Reno was offering Tamao a piece of the pastry he had bought when he was suddenly jerked off the wall and carried screaming into the air!

"AHHHHHHHHH! YOU DIDN'T HAVE GO FAR TO FIND URAN!"

Astro jumped about and blasted off after the screaming, struggling Reno. "THAT DOES IT URAN! IT'S TIME TO STOP THIS STUPID FOOLISHNESS! LET RENO GO!"

Zoran smirked evilly back as she threw Reno into the air and caught him…by the band of his underwear!

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" The boy squeeled as he hung by the stretched tail of his tighty whites. "You want him? Come here and take him." Uran said snarling.

"Oh please…" Astro said putting his hands on his hips. "Zoran, don't press your luck? You're already in the dog house so far."

"Huh! The powerful Astro Boy afraid to tackle a girl." Zoran bounced Reno up and down and caused him to shriek!

"OW! STOP TALKING TO HER AND STOP HER ALREADY!" Reno pleaded.

Astro blasted himself in a dive towards Uran but at the last second…she dodged him and slashed a can of paint in his face!"

"AHHHH! URAN!" Astro screamed as he flew out of control and crashed into a bush near the store below. Above him, Uran laughed hysterically as she gave Reno a snickering demonic look of pleasure. "Oh what I have in store for you…you Girl Scout terrorizing creep."

The other boys ran to dig Astro out of the bush as Uran carried Reno off above them. "Oh man, she got you good." Abercrombie said as he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and tried to clear Astro's paint covered eyes.

"That's what I get for being too nice." Astro replied snorting. "I'm sick of playing around with her!"

Ken pulled his shoes off and wiped Astro's eyes with his own socks. "You just can't haul off and smack her around Astro, it's not her fault to start with. We'll have to outsmart her somehow so we can get her back to the Ministry."

Tamao gasped. "She's got Reno! And judging by how she was treating him? We have to stop her before she does something aweful to him!"

Abercrombie snorted. "Come off it nerd. Reno's never done anything to hurt Uran, why would she want to hurt him?"

Reno was asking the same question. He didn't know where Uran had taken him but tying him to a maple sapling in the woods sure didn't bode of anything positive.

"Uran…this isn't you! Untie me! Come on Uran this isn't right!" Reno struggled as Uran patted his face.

"My poor, poor Reno. You're telling me this isn't right? Then I guess maybe you shouldn't have helped those other mean boys to cover my friends with eggs then huh?"

Reno's eyes bugged out. "What are you talking about?"

"Last year….remember? You helped some boys play a nasty prank on some Brownie Scouts at that department store? Did you honestly think anyone would let you off the hook Reno?"

Reno gasped as Uran held his chin. "Now…you're going to suffer for your crime like you should."

Suddenly some other girls came out from behind the nearby trees and bushes, all of them giggling evilly as they closed in on the poor young scientist….

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Reno's screams of horror filled the air around the patch of forest.

**9am**

**The Captain over Machida**

"Man…Uran's like given us the total slip here." Abercrombie said as he looked at the ground below. "Anything yet Astro?"

"Nope. Ken I don't know what you have in mind but if it doesn't work I know what I have to do."

Tamao snorted. "Oh yeah like spanking her's gonna do any good? Good luck."

"I wasn't thinking of that." Astro replied smirking. "I'll have to get my hands on her and fry her circuits, believe me I don't want to do that."

Ken frowned. "I hope she hasn't hurt Reno. I mean he hasn't done anything to her."

Suddenly, Astro looked down to see a crowd at the front of Tokyo Hands store and as he zoomed in…he didn't know what to make of the "thing" they had cornered against the front door. "We better land guys, I think a riots starting down there."

As the Captain touched down, Astro ran and pushed his way through the taunting mob of people…and into the sight he didn't know how to respond too.

Someone was handcuffed to the front door of Tokyo Hands…who ever he or she was…they weren't having fun at all. The sweet smell of syrup and molasses filled Astro's nose and the poor person was covered head to toe in bird cage popcorn?

Then Astro saw the sign hanging around the door handle. "I am Reno. I taunt and throw eggs at Brownie Scouts. I am being justly punished by Uran Tenma. Despise me!"

Astro gasped as he walked up and broke the handcuff. "You ok?" He asked Reno.

"Do I look ok!" Reno replied crying.

Astro turned to the crowd. "That's enough! I think he's paid for whatever he did so you can all leave him alone!"

The rest of the boys ran up as the crowd dispersed. "Oh man, Reno!" Abercrombie cried as he knelt down to wipe the mess of Reno's face. "Are you hurt? Say something!"

Ken grabbed the sign and read it. "If he is hurt, probably served him right."

Astro gave Ken a snort. "This was too much! It's one thing to punish someone for doing something wrong but it's totally different when you embarrass them like this."

Astro ran into the store and came back out with a blanket. "The guys will take you home Reno."

From behind Astro and the others came a girl's voice. "Wow…kinda neat for a fashion statement huh?" It was Cora, carrying her equipment bag from the ministry. "Is he ok?"

Astro shook his head. "Obviously not. I hope you have a plan Cora because I'm through being patient."

Cora thumped Astro off the head. "Sheesh…go have a Slushie or something bulldozer. Thousands of logic programs in that brain of yours and you can't figure out how to beat a little robot girl? Sheesh you're pathetic."

"Pathetic?" Astro snapped back. "It's not like I'm taking down a run-a-way bus you know! She's my sister, my flesh and blood….uh….well similar wires and oil ok? I just can't grab her and throw her around, this isn't Uran's fault!"

Cora pushed a finger into Astro's nose. "Will you chill? You'll heat up again and give me more fits. If you want to beat a girl Astro? You have to think like a girl."

Astro cocked his head. "That's kinda weird?"

"Which is why she's making a fool out of you." Cora replied snickering. "Trust me, it's not that hard."

**Wood Lot near Machida High School**

**9:30am**

The small group of girls were a giggling mass of enjoyment as they sat around Uran who stood commandingly atop a stump. "Didn't I tell you I'd help you get your revenge? You should have seen that slug crying in his underwear, just deservings I say!"

"Yeah!" One of the girls replied standing up. "That'll teach those stupid boys to mess with us! Come on Uran, this can't be the end of it right?"

"Are you kidding me?" Uran replied waving a hand. "Uh, Uh! I want the big prize…my big mouthed, know it all big brother! I haven't begun to make him miserable yet!"

Another of the girls played with her lips. "But….but Astro's not bad…he hasn't done anything to any of us so why should we make him miserable?"

Uran smirked evilly. "Because he makes me feel like a helpless dope. I'm just a window dressing for him to look cool and I say that's injury enough!"

Miko herself was having second thoughts about everything. She knew better that this wasn't Uran at all thanks to that jerk Skunk. In her current state, Uran might do anything to "get back" at her brother…no matter how bad it might end up being.


End file.
